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“I’m a believer in dreams”

July 13, 2024 at 10:31 pm Leave a comment

England manager Gareth Southgate described himself as an “England fan in the dugout” and a “believer in dreams” ahead of Sunday’s Euro 2024 final against Spain in Berlin.

He also said that, during his eight years in charge, “we’ve changed how English football is perceived around the world” having reached back-to-back Euros finals, a World Cup semi-final and quarter-final. Now they have the chance to win the nation’s first men’s trophy since 1966.

“I want to win so much on Sunday it hurts, don’t get me wrong, but I can handle whatever comes and I know it’s not going to change what the dog thinks when I walk back through the door!” 

Southgate missed the decisive penalty as a player in the semi-final shoot-out against Germany at Euro ’96 in England. The 53-year-old has always insisted he would never let that moment “define” him, even if he still carries the scars, he said in a lengthy interview.

But asked about whether this final might do just that, he said: “It will. But in the eyes of others. Where I’m fortunate is that age and experience has made me more comfortable with who I am, what I’m good at, what I need to be better at. I completely understand that, in the end, winning and what that means completely changes how you’re going to be viewed by other people.“

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